Sunday, January 8, 2012

the RULES

I was telling a friend about my new blog - all about the adventure that inspired me, the trip where SchnauzerQueen and I hit the road to do over 100 caches in one day; and about the cow ( Mr. Cache Cow ) that I now consider one of my best stories; and how we met a woman who we took out caching just after midnight, January 1,2012 ( Happy New Years to us ) and how she found her very first cache at that time - and finally my friend ask "What is geocaching?". Duhhh! I never thought about her not knowing.

So for all my friends, family and strangers that may happen upon this blog, I going to line up some of the basics. This info is coming directly off the Geocaching website so it is their words and not mine. There are places where they say that you can 'click here' for more info and you will need to go to their site to get that 'more info'.
Hope the following info is helpful to all.

What is the meaning of the word geocaching?

The word Geocaching refers to GEO for geography, and to CACHING, the process of hiding a cache. A cache in computer terms usually refers to information stored in memory to make it faster to retrieve, but the term is also used in hiking/camping as a hiding place for concealing and preserving provisions.

Geocaching 101

The Game

What is geocaching?

is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location.

Geocaches can be found all over the world. It is common for geocachers to hide caches in locations that are important to them, reflecting a special interest or skill of the cache owner. These locations can be quite diverse. They may be at your local park, at the end of a long hike, underwater or on the side of a city street.

Go somewhere, do something. That is the basic idea behind Geocaching Challenges. You might be challenged to hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, sing a song in the middle of Times Square, or take a picture of yourself walking through the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. Learn more about Geocaching Challenges.

You should also check to see that other geocachers have recently logged finds on the cache page (also called the cache listing). This indicates that the geocache is most likely still in place and findable. Find logs are indicated on the cache page with a smiley face.

You can search for geocaches by location or by GC Code (a unique code associated with each cache listing) from the homepage, the Hide & Seek page or the advanced search page. Premium Members can sort search results by caches with the most favorite points, difficulty of find, terrain rating and more.

Loading coordinates onto your GPS device

The method of loading coordinates onto your GPS device varies depending on what type of device you have.

Inputting Coordinates by Hand

If your device does not connect directly to the computer via an interface cable, you will need to enter coordinates into the device by hand. This process will be different for each device. Check your device's manual for instructions.

Send to GPS

If you have a DeLorme, Magellan or Garmin that connects directly to your computer through an interface cable, you can use the "Send to GPS" functionality to send a cache listing directly to your GPS device. The first time you use this functionality, you will be instructed to download the appropriate plugin for your GPS device.

Download LOC or GPX file

If you have any model of GPS device with an interface cable, you can download the cache listing as a LOC file (Basic Members) or GPX file (Premium Members). LOC files contain basic information about a cache, including coordinates, cache name and difficulty and terrain ratings. GPX files are available for Premium Members and include all of this data as well as the cache description, hints and the 20 most recent logs. Premium Members can also download up to 1000 caches in a single GPX file using the Pocket Query feature.

For most GPS devices, you will need to download third-party geocaching software to read LOC or GPX files. Some devices, like the Magellan Triton and Garmin Colorado, support and read Geocaching GPX files directly.

Geocaches vary greatly in size and appearance. In the field you will see everything from large, clear plastic containers to film canisters to a fake rock with a secret compartment. So, how do you find the cache?

The first step is to get a general idea of the cache's size. The size is shown on each cache page. A general overview of the cache size graphic is found below. Please note that these are just examples; sizes can vary.

Micro - Less than 100ml. Examples: a 35 mm film canister or a tiny storage box typically containing only a log book or a log sheet. A nano cache is a common sub-type of a micro cache that is less than 10ml and can only hold a small log sheet.Small - 100ml or larger, but less than 1L. Example: A sandwich-sized plastic container or similar.Regular - 1L or larger, but less than 20L. Examples: a plastic container or ammo can about the size of a shoebox.Large - 20L or larger. Example: A large bucket.Other - See the cache description for information.